Pallets and containers for transporting brick and the like



Filed May 27, 1952 PALLETS W. E. WHITE ET AL AND CONTAINERS FOR TRANSPGRTING BRICK AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nmh 1956 w. E. WHITE ET AL 2,770,359

PALLETS AND CONTAINERS FOR TRANSPORTING BRICK AND THE LIKE Filed May 27, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Jg'y- 8 13?. .9.

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FALLEJTS AND CONTAINERS FOR TRANSPORTING BRICK AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 27, 1952 0v. 1956 w. E. WHITE ET AL 2,770,359

PALLETS AND CONTAINERS FOR TRANSPGRTING BRICK AND THE LIKE Filed May 27, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTOR EY PALLETS AND CONTAlNERS FOR TRANSPORT- lNG BRlQK AND Til-IE LEE William E. White, Bethlehem, Pa, and John R. Qlark,

Silver Spring, Md, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to said John R. Clark and Thomas Someryille Ill, Kenwood, Md as trustees Application May 27, 1952, Serial No. 290,266

7 (Claims. (Cl. Mid-=65) This invention relates in general to brick handling means and more particularly to a device for holding a number of bricks in fixed compact relation to permit unitary handling by fork lift trucks and the like.

There is a serious need in the brick industry for means for handling bricks and concrete blocks in units which may be picked up by a fork lift truck and loaded onto or unloaded from railroad cars or highway trucks for transportation to the job site while still maintaining the unit identity. We have found that a unit or package made up of approximately 360 to 400 bricks is of a convenient and economical size and weight for such handling. Such a package of ordinary building bricks will occupy about 16 to 18 cubic feet of storage space and will Weigh about 1600 to 1800 pounds.

it is an object of this invention to provide restraining or holding means for a unitary package of bricks or the like, which means may be placed and tightly held around the bricks after they have been stacked in a regular pile upon a pallet and retained there during transport and storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively light metallic structure for protectively enclosing a stack of bricks, which structure may be easily applied or removed without tools, and which may be packed very compactly for shipping back to the brickyard or other supply source for reuse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relatively light metallic structure for protectively enclosing a stack of bricks, which structure comprises a plurality of identical panels, which panels may be easily applied or removed without tools and may be locked in position, if desired, through the agency of a plurality of simple hand-applied clips.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clip of simple design which is adapted to firmly secure the structures of the invention in their operative position.

A further object is to provide a pallet for bricks of light weight and simple construction.

Still other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will be noted hereinafter in the specification and in the annexed five sheets of drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a unitary package of bricks as they are held in assembled relation by our combined pallet and container;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the four brick retainer identical side panels comprising the structure of the container shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the panel shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4- is a top plan view of the panel shown in Fig. 2 showing the ends of adjacent panels attached thereto;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the top portion of the panel shown in Fig. 2 showing said panel embracing the top portion of a package of bricks, and showing a side view of the top of adjacent panels attached to said panel;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the pallet constituting the base member;

"rates Patent 0 Fig. 7 is a side elevation of said pallet;

Fig. 8 is another side elevation with the pallet rotated from Fig. 7;

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are perspective views of a top corner of a unitary package of bricks as they are held in assembled relation by our novel container showing the manner in which the panels interlock and showing the steps in applying the novel clip of our invention to retain the panels in interlocked relationship;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of our novel clip; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary top plan View of the corners of four closely adjacent packages of bricks showing the ends of the panels in interlocking relationship, the bricks and vertical Wires in section.

With particular reference to Figs. 6-8 of the drawings, the pallet 1 constituting the bottom of our device is a reticular metal structure formed of a plurality of lateral wires 2 bent centrally and at each end to form three U-shaped legs 3 each open at top and corresponding in height substantially to the width of one brick and width to double the brick thickness, said lateral. wires 2 being held in evenly spaced parallel relation by pairs of longitudinal wires 4 with upturned ends as at 5 and securely welded beneath each U-shaped leg 3. The wires 2 also are provided with upturned ends 6. These upturned ends 6 are adapted to engage the lower layer of the loading to prevent it from shifting sidewise.

Each of said U-shaped legs 3 is adapted to receive and hold securely a double row of bricks s, laid on edge in rowlock courses, upon which are stacked other rowlock courses, the bricks of each course preferably being arranged at an angle of 90 to the course immediately thereunder to provide proper interlock, thereby forming a rectangular pile of bricks on the pallet.

With the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, each of the legs 3 will contain eight bricks, making a bottom layer of twenty-four bricks, with eight superposed layers of fiftysix bricks each, or four hundred and seventy two bricks in the complete pile, although larger or smaller piles may obviously be made, to accord with individual convenience.

A brick pile of this type may be handled to a limited extent by a fork lift truck or the like on the pallet alone, but for maximum strength and safety in handling it is necessary to provide additional means to guard against any possible lateral shifting or displacement of the bricks.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, we have therefore provided restraining means preferably consisting of four identical side panels 9 of reticular welded fabric. The side panels 9 are formed of vertical retainer wires 1% and intermediate vertical Wires tit and horizontal wires 12, the one end of at least some of said horizontal wires 12 being extended and bent vertically downward to provide hook members 13.

The horizontal wires i2 which provided with hook members 13 are also provided at their opposite ends with loops 14 which are adapted to receive the hook members 13 of the panel 9 immediately adjacent thereto as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 9, 11, and 13. Loops M are preferably bent inwardly from the plane of panel b with the object of avoiding interference between the fastening means of adjacent packages of bricks when such packages are loaded in a box car or the like. The vertical retainer wires 10 are of a length such that they project below the tops of the bottom bricks 8 in the pallet legs 3 and each comprises two depending parallel wire legs 15' and 16 the bottom ends of which extend downwardly as at 17 to engage said bottom bricks d. The upper end of each retainer wire it? additionally comprises a looped portion 18 bent at right angles to the legs 15 and t6 and is adapted to engage the top of the brick pile. The intermediate wires it are shorter, so as to avoid engagement with the forks of a lift truck, when such forks are inserted between the rows of brick S to lift the pile.

The dimensions of the side panels 9 are dependent, of course, upon the size of the-pile of bricks to be restrained. In the arrangement shown in Fig. l, the vertical dimensions of the panels will therefore be substan tially in appropriate multiples of the width of a brick, and the horizontal dimensions will similarly be in appropriate multiples of the length of a brick. The horizontal panel wires in order to have sufficient stiffness should be of heavier gage than the vertical wires, in. wires being suggested, for example, for the horizontal panel wires, and No. 4 in.) wires for the vertical wires and the pallet.

In use, after the pile of bricks 8 has been placed upon the pallet 1, a panel 9 is placed upright at each side of the pile, and hung on said pile by means of the V-shaped portions 18, and are fastened together manually at the corners by means of the hook members 13, said hook members 13 extending through the loop member 14 of horizontal wire 12 of an adjacent panel.

To securely lock the hook members 13 in the loop members 14, a clip 19, as shown in Fig. 12, is provided. The clip 19 comprises a substantially straight body portion 20 which at its ends is bent back upon itself to form hook portions 21 and 22. The method of applying clip 19 is shown progressively in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. One end hook 21 of clip 19 is hooked upwardly through loop portion 14, the body portion 20 of clip 19 extending upwardly from loop 14 and positioned between leg 16 of wire It) and the brick pile, extending upwardly between legs 15 and 16 of wire 10, as shown in Fig. 9. The body portion 20 of clip 19 is then bent outwardly and downwardly over horizontal wire 12, as shown in Fig. 10, The end hook portion 22 of clip 19 is then forced between leg 15 of wire 10 and the brick pile, the spring of the body portion 29 of the clip 19 urging the hooked end 22 of the clip to firmly embrace said leg 15 of wire 10, as shown in Fig. 11.

A particular advantage of this invention is that it permits the bricks to be quickly and easily stacked on the pallet in a regular and orderly manner, without any hindrance or obstruction to the workman, and the side restraining structure is subsequently placed around the load. It is known that wire mesh or reticulated hinged sided containers have sometimes been used as receptacles into which light packages or articles of irreguluar shape have been deposited without much regard for orderly arrangement, but it would obviously not be feasible to place a large number of relatively small, heavy and easily broken articles like bricks or concrete blocks in a container of that type, or to form a rigidly secured and transportable unitary package therein. Flexible metal straps or the like bound about the load would be likely to snap or break loose, and in other respects would provide inadequate protection against severe jolts and rough impacts.

Another distinct advantage of the invention is the identical construction of the panels, which simplifies manufacture and which simplifies matters for the workman who assembles the panels around the brick piles, no choice of differently constructed panels being necessary.

While the pallet 1 is capable of repeated use it may be left underneath the bricks after they have arrived at their destination if desired, and the side and end panels may be separated therefrom and stored or returned in a fiat compact package for further use.

Although we have thus described our invention hereinabove in considerable detail, we wish it to be understood that the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative,

rather than restrictive, and that modifications, substitutions and equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the appended claims.

We claim: 1. A unitary brick package comprising a pallet of reticular members having integral U-shaped leg elements open at top, bricks in said leg elements forming part of the load-supporting area, superposed bricks stacked in a rectangular pile on said pallet, separable panels of wire mesh members embracing the sides of said rectangular brick pile, certain of the wire mesh members having extended upper portions bent horizontally inward so as to rest upon the top of said brick pile and suspend the panels therefrom, and means securing the panels in connected relation.

2. A unitary package comprising a pallet, bricks or the like stacked in a rectangular pile on the pallet, the walls of said package comprising a plurality of substantially identical panels, said panels being formed of horizontal wires and vertical wires, the lower ends of at least some of said vertical wires extending downwardly to engage the bottom layer of bricks, the upper ends of at least some of the bottom engaging wires being bent horizontally inward and resting upon the top of the brick pile, one end of at least some of said horizontal wires being bent downwardly to form hook members, the other end of said wires being bent horizontally to form loop members, the hook members of said horizontal wires engaging and the loop members of the horizontal wires of adjacent panels.

3. A unitary package comprising a pallet, bricks or the like stacked in a rectangular pile on the pallet, the walls of said package comprising a plurality of substantially identical panels, said panels being formed of horizontal wires and vertical wires, the lower ends of at least some of said vertical wires extending downwardly to engage the bottom layer of bricks, the upper ends of at least some of the bottom engaging wires being bent horizontally inward to rest upon the top of the brick pile, one end of at least some of said horizontal wires being bent downwardly to form hook members, the other end of said wires being bent horizontally rearwardly and inwardly to form loop members, the hook members of said horizontal wires engaging the loop members of the horizontal wires of adjacent panels, and a clip engaging each of said loop members of said hooked horizontal wires of the adjacent panel.

4. A unitary package comprising a pallet, bricks or the like stacked in a rectangular pile on the pallet, the walls of said package comprising a plurality of substantially identical metal panels, said panels being formed of a first set of'wires and a second set of wires crossing the first set, the lower ends of at least some of said first set of wires extending downwardly to engage the bottom layer of bricks, the upper portions of at least some of the latter wires being projected angularly to rest upon the top of the brick pile, one end of at least some of said second set of wires being extended and bent downwardly to form hook members, the other end of the latter wires being extended and bent rearwardly at a right angle to engage and protect a corner of the pile, said latter wires terminating in horizontally disposed loop members, the hook members of said second set of wires engaging the loop members of the second set of wires of adjacent panels, and a spring clip comprising a body portion and end hook portions, one of said end hook portions engaging the loop member of said horizontal wire of one of said panels and the hooked horizontal wire of an adjacent panel and a vertical wire of said adjacent panel.

5. A brick package including a stack of bricks, a pallet comprising biaxially arranged rigidly connected wires bent to form a series of U-shape leg elements open at the top for receiving said bricks, upturned end portions on some of the wires engaging the terminals of the stacked bricks, and upturned end portions on the remaining wires engaging the exposed side faces of the bricks.

6. A package, comprising a pallet member, a pile of bricks on said pallet member, an enclosure surrounding said pile of bricks comprising a plurality of side mernbers separate from said pallet member, means projecting angularly from the side members to rest on the pile and hooks on one vertical edge of each side member engaging detents on the vertical edge of the adjacent side member.

7. A package comprising a pallet, a rectangular pile of articles positioned thereon, reticular panels engaging the sides and corners of the pile, interlocking hook and loop, means for connecting the panels at the corners of the pile, and inwardly bent rod means for suspending the panels from the top of the pile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Cole June 17, 1924 Kaufman July 1, 1924 Stoddard Apr. 25, 1933 Sullivan Aug. 15, 1933 Chaplin Mar. 3, 1936 Lofstrand Nov. 3, 1936 David Dec. 15, 1936 Faulkner Apr. 20, 1943 Planeta June 6, 1944 Gilbertie Apr. 5, 1949 Arthur Nov. 8, 1949 Emigholz et al Apr. 11, 1950 Sloane Nov. 7, 1950 Coit Apr. 3, 1951 Friesner May 6, 1952 

